Question of the Day

Should President Trump end 'chain migration?'

A deal to move the Bush administration's anti-terrorism package quickly crumbled last night after objections by Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican.Mr. McCain's desire to pass a separate aviation safety bill, which has been bogged down for a week in a dispute over an amendment to compensate laid off airline workers, has stalled all other legislative business."We could more productively use that time," said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat.The aviation safety bill measure authored by Sen. Jean Carnahan, Missouri Democrat, is being filibustered.Despite the delay, Democratic and Republican leaders have reached an anti-terrorism agreement that will allow votes on amendments proposed by Sen. Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat, which he says will protect civil liberties.Mr. Feingold refused to allow unanimous passage late Tuesday and held the bill hostage until yesterday's agreement."I think it is for the good of the body and the effort on this bill that we consider the issues brought up, have a debate, have the votes, and resolve them in public," Mr. Feingold said.Mr. Feingold told the Associated Press the agreement was reached in part because he was the only one of 100 senators asking for amendments.Mr. Feingold wants four amendments to be considered for inclusion. The first requires that the target of surveillance must be proven to be in the house or using the bugged phone.The second amendment protects certain privacy records, including medical and educational records. The third amendment strikes a provision allowing searches without notification, and the fourth limits computer surveillance.Lawmakers dismissed new threats from al Qaeda's spokesman that more planes would be hijacked but said the anti-terrorism measure should be moved quickly."We expect to get those bills done possibly by the end of this week and certainly within the next two weeks," said House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Texas Republican."I can just tell you that bin Laden is talking through his hat. There aren't going to be any more airline hijackings in America. Our security will see to that and in the final analysis, our passengers will see to that. I would just say to him and his goons, 'don't mess with us,'" Mr. Armey said.Meanwhile, the White House continues to pressure House Republican leaders to adopt the Senate measure, which more closely resembles the administration's original request."There is a lot of pressure to do that and I'm doing what I can to resist it," said Rep. Bob Barr, Georgia Republican and leading critic of the original proposal by Attorney General John Ashcroft.Mr. Barr led the fight to restrict provisions and change language he says infringe on civil liberties.Language allowing indefinite detention of noncitizens was changed to seven days before criminal charges must be filed and many provisions will expire in two years."The only chance we have to emerge with a halfway decent bill is for it to pass the House quickly and go to conference with a position of strength," Mr. Barr said.The Senate version does not contain a sunset provision and also includes what Mr. Barr criticized as a "sneak and peek" provision allowing searches without permission the same language Mr. Feingold wants removed.House leaders hope to have the measure on the floor by tomorrow, and one leadership aide said it was unlikely they would abandon their own version which passed 36-0 in the House Judiciary Committee.With two different versions of the legislation, a conference committee is required of both the House and Senate, which could further stall the bill."We can compromise, we can do it our way," said the aide, signaling further complications.